According to a Swiss newspaper a native German guy of 70-years seeking Swiss citizenship was told to go back to school to learn his own native tongue despite being proficient in German.

The Swiss town of Dielsdorf ordered Ulrich Kring — who lived in Switzerland his entire life but is only now applying for citizenship — to take a German language course to the tune of 250 Swiss francs ($222.6), the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper said. (Reuters)

It is told that the German class is obligatory for all foreigners seeking a Swiss passport. Kring however is challenging the decision and had lodged an appeal for which he is yet to receive a reply.

About two-thirds of Switzerland’s 7.5 million inhabitants are German speakers although the dialect is a bit different from the German language in Germany.

There is a hot debate about immigration in Switzerland, where some 20 percent of the population are foreigners, and some newspapers have criticized the big influx of immigrants from neighboring Germany.

In a down-to-the-earth approach, Canadian in near future will be able to access traffic jams information from the Cellphones of motorists.

It is told that by February 2008 a new service called LiveTraffic will be launched to provide realtime data for traffic flow of highways and major streets.

A traffic information firm, IntelliOne, based in Atlanta and Toronto, announced that it has reached an agreement with Rogers Wireless to use the company’s data on the location of the cellphones in its network to create a real-time map of traffic congestion across Canada. Unlike the GPS technology, this system will be able to analyze the constant stream of cell phone information travelling through the Rogers network.

Looks like if Telus people organize a motor rally it won’t create a traffic jam in the LiveTraffic system. I hope they will get data from all the other providers so that the information obtained will be more reliable.
News source

“Life is just one, long high-five: Hindu holy man Baba Hath Khada — last seen at the Ardh Kumbh mela in Allahabad, India — has kept one arm raised over his head for nearly two decades. Why we don’t know.”

Well, keeping your hand above your head for an hour might be difficult for most of us but this hermit is keeping his hand like this for about a couple of decades.

The fingers look so weird… may be it is because of uncut and curled nails.

I wonder how he can do everything with a single hand when workable hand is hanging above his head all the time. I don’t know what he gets by doing all this (except a photo feature and articles like this)!

Don’t you think it would have been better if he donated his hand to those who don’t have one and desperately need it! (AP photo in flickr)

Dan Pierce gives dead trees a second life! He carves the tree stumps and logs to turn them into a piece of art.

In the adjacent photo, Dan Pierce is seen carving an indian out of a stump at the home of Jerry Clapp in Edgewood. Pierce stays busy with carving projects and festivals from spring through fall. Pierce charges between $200 and $2,000 per piece and he told that the Indian was a “midrange price.”

He has setup a website and promotes his work through the Web site spiritwoodcarving.com

Here are a couple of his artworks from his website.

Read further in HeraldBulletin
Photo - Don Knight of Hearald Bulletin and spiritwoodcarving.com

“Today it’s my birthday and my grandson, who is very stingy, gave me a blog.”

That was the first post in Web-blogger Maria Amelia Lopez’s blog and in the picture below she is showing the home page of her blog on a laptop screen in Sanxenxo October 5, 2007. At the age of 95 (yes 90 and 5 years!) Lopez has surprised herself by a sudden conversion from Web-illiterate to cybercelebrity.

With 60,000 regular readers so far, Lopez’s homely mix of memory and chat, available at http://amis95.blogspot.com/, attracts regular readers from around the world and has put her back in touch with the younger generation in a way she had never imagined.

Today’s post in the blog contains the news cover screen-shots of Reuters and The New York Times.

Who says blogging is for younger people? See her clutching the laptop!

I wish I could read and understand her blog without help of Google!
Somebody in the younger lot free enough to translate the writings? Please!

One good friend of mine sent this email and I though it might be good for your brain excercise. It sure is fun if you have some time to spare.

Can you find the C? (Good exercise for the eyes!)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Once you’ve found the C……….

Find the 6!

9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999699999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999
9999999999999999999999999999999999

Once you’ve found the 6…

Find the N! (it seems hard - but it is not that hard though)

MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMNMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMM

Once you’ve found the N…
make a wish!

OK, now that you’ve made a wish, it will come true…..all you have to do is send this on saying, “Can you find the C?”

You sure can share good stuffs even if it might not make your wish come true!

In a tragic plane crash last week, an Edmonton businessman and pilot Allen Dale Williams and his colleague Steven Sutton, were killed near Golden B.C. However the 3 year old grandkid, Kate, survived the accident with minor injuries. I wrote about the miracle child in my previous post.

When the family gathered for a private funeral Friday night, Kate’s mother, Allen’s daughter-in-law gave birth to a son, who was named after him.

“He’s one of the great stars at this moment,” said Sheldon Williams, father of newborn Allen and three-year-old Kate, the “miracle” child. (EdmontonSun)